Determination of Optimum Tilt Angle for Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic System Installation for KikuKinderhaus in Kumasi

Abstract

The population growth in the Ghanaian urban areas and the high energy consumption per unit area compared to the low solar energy capture by Photovoltaic (PV) systems makes solar PV energy systems investment an unattractive venture for most urban settlers. Because building architectures mostly do not incorporate solar PV systems in facility planning, most building roofs pose challenges for solar PV array installation leading to lower PV energy output. The effects of tilt angle on the output of Solar Photovoltaic Systems were analyzed in this study using RETScreen 4. The optimum tilt angle and the corresponding PV output were estimated annually for three different PV systems. It was found that, the optimum tilt angle for all the systems that would give better yield and allow self-cleaning is 10°. The information presented in this study can serve as inputs for the development of grid-tied PV system without battery storage, grid-tied PV system with battery storage and stand-alone systems in Kumasi, Ghana.